A motor and motor drive can be used in many applications. Exemplary applications include a crane, a forklift, or an electric locomotive or vehicle. Emergency stop (also referred to as “e-stop”) braking for a motor drive refers to a type of braking that is initiated to stop in-progress application movement when electrical power is removed using the motor circuit and not external mechanical brakes. An exemplary emergency stop brake occurs when an operator operates a hard-wired e-stop input (e.g., pressing an e-stop button) which opens the main power circuit.
In classical, contactor-based motor drives, power loss emergency braking circuits have been known for many years. However, these involve expensive additional contactors to re-arrange the motor circuit and offer little control. An alternative electronic-based solution is desired.